Malacca art

Enjoy hunting for Baba Nyonya related Malacca art and antiques in Jonker Walk or find paintings in art galleries when strolling around in Malacca : the new art Mecca of Malaysia.

Babas and Nyonyas are Chinese descendants that have adopted much of the Malay culture into theirs. They are also known as ‘Straits Chinese’ or ‘Peranakans’: the descendants of the early Chinese immigrants to the British Straits Settlements of Singapore, Malacca and Penang.

Baba refers to the male descendent and Nyonya refers to the female descendent.

Malacca art in Jonker’s Walk

Jonker Walk or Jonker Street is actually called Jalan Hang Jebat on the street signs.

Jonker’s street has been around since 1641. Jonker stands for "Jonkheer" or ‘young fellow’, as opposed to the Dutch ‘lords’ or "Heeren" who were living in Heeren Houses at Heeren Street (Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock).

The old buildings at Jonker street house many shops, food stalls, antiques and fashionable goods. It’s extremely busy during Friday and weekends, especially each evening when the night market opens. When you are only hunting for antiques and art ware, we recommend you visit Malacca during a weekday.

Very well known antique and 2nd hand shops can be found at 25, 27 and 55 Jonker Street.

Malacca art ware on sale includes:

Buddha images

antique blue and white plates

old vinyl records

paintings and

fake antiques.

If you are a tourist and not in the mood to spend lots of money on art, then fakes are a great alternative. Most of the antiques on sale are sourced by runners while some are brought in by people who wish to dispose of their old things.

A teapot valued at RM700 (about $200) in the 90s will now be priced between RM3,000 ($1000) and RM4,000. Especially when you have no clue about antiques, by all means by a cheap and good replica.

As like everywhere in Malaysia on the streets: do bargain with the sellers.

Malacca attracts new Malaysian artists

Malacca is quietly developing into a Mecca for Malaysian artists.

A steady stream of artists, potters and other artisans have been settling in Malacca over the last 15 years. .

At one end of the town, at the foothill of St Paul’s Church, for just RM10, you can get three pictures of Malaccan landmarks done quickly and on cheap materials. All done by local artists selling oil paintings, water colors and sketches plus copied from old pictures.

Moving deeper into the old quarters of Malacca, you will find yourself looking into the many artists’ studios offering a wonderful array of different artwork.

Malacca street art

When walking in the streets of Malacca, keep your eyes open, as you will find art anywhere, like graffiti on walls.

Melaka art on somebodies car or the impossible to miss wall of Charles Cham’s Orangutan House :

The Orangutan House

Visit the Orang Utan House – Jalan Tukang Besi (Blacksmith Street) – and buy original art T-shirts from Malacca born Charles Cham. The Orangutan House is an studio-gallery housing the contemporary paintings and a large collection of art T-shirts from Charles Cham.

When Charles Cham was 5 years old, he saw a movie about an artist with a magic brush. Everything he painted became alive. When Charles came home that day after the movie, he started to draw a portrait of the painter on the floor with some cake powder belonging to his mother. That was his first portrait.

He designs T-shirts (from RM20 – $6 – onwards) for his “bread and butter” and later developed his own brand of artworks that may not be as easy to sell as his wearable art.

Charles Cham showing his works in his Orangutan House

When you prefer pictures that are clear in their meaning, Jehan Chan could become your favorite Malaysian painter.

Jehan Chan

Do visit 70 year old Jehan Chan in his Art Gallery and home at No. 124 Jalan Tan Cheng Lock , 75000 Malacca Malaysia. (opposite the Baba House Hotel).

Jehan Chan is a graduate (1960) of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore. His art gallery and home is at No. 124 Jalan Tan Cheng Lock (06-282 0370).

Jehan experimented with water color collage on crinkled rice paper in the late 80’s. A technique he perfected ever since. In 1992, he started painting the carps he reared at home.

Nowadays Jehan is well-known for these popular pictures of carps in ponds and his stylised scenes of Sungai Malacca at sunset (see picture above in red). His work is easy to take home: it’s not so abstract and not too photographic.

Although his paintings are well priced now, his works only started to be collected during the last 10 years. As usual, when a good painter gets older, his works become better priced. Before getting famous, Jehan Chan got by with teaching and breeding dogs.

Sometimes called the father of Melaka art, Jehan Chan is an example for many of the young artists hoping to make it big in Malacca.

Tham Siew Inn

Not only inspiring but also established artists like Tham Siew Inn move to Malacca.

The above Tham Siew Inn Artist Gallery is located in the middle historical Melaka at 49, Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock. The location offers an unique fusion of gallery, workshop, garden and living space.

Tham Siew Inn was born in Kuala Lumpur in 1946 but left Klang, Selangor a few years ago to set up a home, workspace and sales room in Malacca with the help of his two sons.

The first antique shop to open in Jalan Han Jebat in Malacca was called Three Abdul. Owned by Indian Muslims in the early 80s, it has since changed hands among family members who have also opened this Abdul outlet in addition to the Fatis and Lagenda antique stores.